Legacy
by maxx31412
Summary: Allister is a Gym Leader struggling with extreme mental disorders, and his confidence in his ability worsens every match. However, another Trainer inspires him to overcome his disorders and obstacles and prove to everyone his true skill.
1. Pressured

Strangely enough, as the pressure of every single gym battle only decreased his motivation to be a Gym Leader, the Champion Cup was something much different. This was the time where he could bring out his fullest, with his most powerful team. He could show everyone what he was capable of doing, despite being very quiet and anxious around any and all passersby. He never really knew what it was that made it so special. He never had an extremely amazing record, and, again, he never liked being watched by the crowds that surrounded the stadiums.

He had the date of the cup circled on his calendar. It was only six days away.

Allister's gym was particularly less populated compared to the first three, which was a large relief for him. This was largely due to the third leader, Kabu, and his incredible experience with being a leader. Allister was spared multiple battles per week because of him. He'd hate to have to battle almost every day and feel the pressure of each battle, as the first three gym leaders had to do. Even so, he had an average of a battle every two days, which never meant good for him. He always felt as if everyone was dependent on his triumph, and if he made even one mistake, he had failed them all. He knew this delusion was incredibly irrational, but he could never try to stop it. It was just...there.

He was never really a social child to begin with, ever since the accident. He never revealed any details about it, and it seemed nobody really wanted to know, either. Schooling wasn't much of a problem, either, as it seemed that people were either unsettled by him, or just respected his privacy. He liked to believe the latter situation. He did develop close friendships with three other students, but those were the only three he would actively speak to. Many of the teachers never really called on him for an answer to a question, and group projects were always optional, to which he always decided to work alone.

There were treatments and medications for the disorders he had, but health concerns came to the conclusion that he should not start them. This sparked questions on his qualifications to be a leader. This never focused on his skill in battle, per say, but rather confusion over his young age. He was the youngest gym leader in history, and concerns began to appear from day one. This only worsened the pressure he dealt with. Eventually, an almost unanimous decision by the region ensured that he was qualified. He was skilled enough, and many believed that his severe anxiety and depression would wither away with coming of age.

Sadly, this hypothesis never really seemed to take effect. He always felt hopeless, especially when gym challengers came along. The Champion Cup was different, however, as almost everyone he faced already knew him. They were very supportive, which he greatly appreciated, but he still always ended up in failure.

Allister never was able to succeed and move on to the third round of the tournament. Most of the time, he wasn't very fortunate with the opponents who faced him, in a sense of skill. He was paired with either Raihan, who was just an extremely powerful trainer, or Piers, who had an extreme type advantage. He was able to battle a new trainer only once, in which he ultimately lost in a 1v1.

However, he was expected to do much better this year, as he would face Melony in the first round. This gave him an equal matchup in his view, and he believed his Chandelure could take out most of her team. The other matchup in his division was Nessa and the new trainer, which both he felt he could do well against.

He felt determined to change his streak of failure, and prove to everyone he was qualified for his position. The simple thought of facing Leon in the final match excited him. Of course, he didn't believe he could defeat him, but it would still be a fun battle. If Raihan couldn't beat Leon, Allister was sure he couldn't either.

He looked at his team. Maybe he could add one new Pokémon to his roster and further strengthen his team?

It would require approval from the board, but he was sure they would allow it.

He reviewed his roster. Dusknoir, Chandelure, Cursola, Runerigus, Gengar.

He didn't have a dragon type. Dragapult was a definite option. Leon had one as well, so it was surely allowed.

He looked forward to the date. Six days away.


	2. Lifted Spirits

It seemed that his faith had been in vain.

It was roughly two weeks after the Champion Cup, and Allister had failed to claim victory. He had been defeated in the final round by Raihan, which, looking back at it, was more understandable the more he thought about it. Raihan was an incredibly experienced Trainer, and his Duraludon had an immunity to his Gengar's poison attacks. However, the huge progress he made towards winning the tournament and facing Leon had only further damaged his already low self-esteem.

Surprisingly enough, while he was affected poorly by the loss in the finals, a surprising amount of encouragement was given by fans, media, and even the chairman, Rose. He still remembered, during his first year as a Gym Leader, the constant doubt and curiosity coming from fans and the media especially. The fact that he was the youngest Gym Leader ever recorded as well as having extreme anxiety and depression made him seem to be a very bad choice for a Gym Leader. While his mental disorders hadn't improved, his skill as a Trainer had been demonstrated, and the views surrounding him drastically changed, with some even believing him to be the most skilled Gym Leader in Galar. Rose even commented in a press conference, "Allister's capability as a Gym Leader is incredibly high for someone as young as him. He may have some serious mental issues that can't be solved yet, but that doesn't stop him from being a great Trainer overall."

He still felt alone, that no one cared or believed in him. His only friend whom he had actually interacted with was Bea, a fellow Gym Leader who was being adjusted into the major leagues after Allister was confirmed to be a full-time leader. Bea was the only person he fully trusted, and she was most likely the only reason he had kept his status as a Gym Leader without mentally collapsing on the field, or worse.

With that being said, Bea had a life of her own, and Allister was mostly left alone. Because he was left without parents and he had an important status in the Galar community, he was legally allowed to live on his own once he turned 13 if he was not taken into a foster home or adopted family. Neither happened, and he was admitted into a house near the Gym and supported himself, occasionally being checked on by Galar officers. He really wasn't sure if living alone helped or harmed him, but he never requested to change his lifestyle.

...His alarm went off. In 20 minutes, he would have to be at the arena, awaiting challengers.

He dressed into his Gym outfit, looked at himself…

Mask on.

He ran into the staff entrance at the arena, making sure that the least amount of people were able to see him. He slipped into the arena, his heart rate already rising.

He waited in the locker room for about 40 minutes. The more time without a challenger, the better.

Then the intercom went off.

"Master Allister, a challenger will be arriving in 5 minutes."

He sighed. Hopefully this will be the only one today.

As the minutes ticked away, he could see the seats filling up. People were in jerseys styled like his, and some were even wearing masks exactly like this. He felt a strange feeling, but what was it…?

A faint, "Let's go, Allister!" to the beat of the drum rang across the crowd. The arena must have been sold out.

Then he realised.

People weren't looking at him, judging his every action.

They were _cheering for _him.

He was stunned. He had never felt this sensation. This was the first time he felt excited for a match.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the east tunnel. Here is your challenger, Max Crosby!" the commentator announced. His voice was booming.

A slim, brown-haired boy entered the pitch. Applause rang out, with a couple cheering for him.

"And now, your Stow-on-Side Gym Leader… please welcome, the Ghost-type specialist, Allister!"

A deafening roar echoed across the pitch as he exited the tunnel. People were everywhere, cheering for him. He had always felt that this was just them either cheering for the challenger or talking, chuckling at him.

A smile slipped across his face. He couldn't remember the last time this happened.

He walked towards the center, where the challenger stood.

"Hello, I'm Max," the challenger said.

"...'m Allister."

"Good luck with the battle!" A friendly smile told him that he wasn't judging him either.

"...Thanks. You too…"

He felt guilty for not saying as much.

As friendly as he was, Max absolutely destroyed Allister's team. As the crowd applauded for him, he was even shocked.

"I nearly lost my mask from that battle. That was...wow. I can see your skill for what it is," he stated, trying to stay friendly.

A strange thing he noticed about the challenger's team is that he had a Dracovish. Those fossil Pokémon were said to be mistakes in revival, and that they never existed in ancient times. Many even said that they were even in pain every moment of their lives, but Max's Dracovish seemed very happy to be alive and even nuzzled him after the battle.

...oh. And it swept his entire team.

"Thanks! Dracovish had lots of fun during the battle. That's a sign of a good Trainer, in my mind," he said.

"Crumbs… that was ace. Here, your Ghost badge…" he sighed. He felt rude for even speaking, yet Max didn't seem to notice.

They shook hands, and he felt that he'd seen this challenger before. He wasn't sure what it was.

"G-good luck!" he stuttered, "With, um, everything." He tried to keep his cool.

"Thanks! You too!" he smiled as he left the pitch.

As Allister walked into the locker room, he ended the battle a different person. He walked out of the arena, and saw Max again.

He didn't know what to say to him, but he felt he owed it to him.

"Hey... you did great out there. Thanks for the battle…" he stuttered.

"Honestly, I thought you did better than I did. Dracovish learned a lot from that battle, and so did I. I really appreciate the battle, so thanks so much!" he said, his face beaming with graciousness. Allister was surprised to meet someone like him, as it seemed that everyone else didn't like him.

"Here, my League Card… I forgot to give it to you before." he said.

"Oh, thanks again! I'll be heading to Ballonlea!" he said, walking away towards Glimwood Tangle.

He watched Max leave. He looked into his left pocket.

...That wasn't his League Card. That was his phone number.

He chuckled at himself. What a stupid mistake…

He'd rather Max had his phone number than his League Card.


	3. A Friend

It seemed like only a couple days ago that he had faced off with Max at the pitch, but friends make a difference in your life; at least, he thought that was how the saying went. Over six months had passed since that match and the next Champion Cup was scheduled to occur during the summer. Allister was anticipating the date.

He and Max had grown closer and closer as friends ever since that match, to the point where Allister saw him as the brother he never had. It felt almost symbolic: one of the lowest points of his life, where he viewed his performance in the last Champion Cup as a complete failure, introduced somebody who would make an incredible difference in his life. The loss in the finals against Raihan was of no matter to him.

He had been visiting a newly assigned therapist, scheduled to meet with him when he turned 13, in order to try and improve his mental conditions, but he felt that just being friends with Max and Bea helped him more than therapy. While he had never revealed his mask to anyone, he trusted those two more than anyone else and wanted to show them who he really was.

As Allister improved as a Trainer, so did Max. He had beaten all 8 Gyms, and the preliminary round to qualify for the Champion Cup would begin in only 9 days. He was hoping Max would win and face off against him, so they could see how they had improved over the months.

The house was quiet. Allister felt bored, which had never really happened at all because of his constant isolation. Perhaps gaining new friends had changed him as a person.

The doorbell rang. Ah, yes, he had offered to help Max with his competitive team. That had slipped his mind. Lucky to have arrived at the perfect time.

They spent about an hour creating Max's ideal team, though about 40 minutes of that time was just them discussing the Champion Cup and who they projected to win. Allister had set up a bracket that showed the seeds of each Gym Leader, and they both shared their thoughts.

Allister was first seeded with Raihan, which would be a tough battle to win. Raihan had challenged Leon 12 times in his career as a Gym Leader, and even if he lost all 12, that was more than every other Gym Leader combined. Then, he would either face off against the new Fairy type leader Bede or the preliminary challenger, which they assumed would be Max. Finally, the other Gym Leaders who qualified were Nessa, Kabu, Gordie and Bea, which they narrowed down to either Nessa or Bea qualifying for the finals. Nessa would be on equal footing in terms of type matchups with Allister (aside from his Chandelure) but Bea would be more than a pushover. Since Fighting types couldn't hit Ghost types but Ghost types could hit Fighting types, that would make it a very lopsided battle.

Interestingly, Piers rejected his invitation to the Champion Cup because he was debating whether or not Marnie should take up his position as Gym Leader that year or not. That was Allister's only weakness and, thus, made this tournament a great opportunity for him to win it all.

After discussing Max's full team, Allister couldn't hold himself back any longer. He wanted to break free from his restraints, and that started with his mask.

"...listen, Max, I've been thinking…" he hesitantly started.

"Yes?"

"I've never really shown myself to anyone, and I think that if I want to start feeling like myself again…" he stopped. His heart was pounding, all of his bad memories flooding back to him.

"Allister, if you don't feel comfortable without your mask, keep it on. It's a matter of what you feel is best for you." It was almost like Max could read his mind, the way he understood him.

"But… I _do _feel that getting rid of my mask is best for me, it's just…"

He couldn't decide what he should do, and how it would affect him. What if Max tells everyone about it? What if someone else sees me without my mask? What if…?

"You do what you feel is right. I'll support you either way," Max stated. Allister could tell that he was trying to be positive about the situation.

He unfastened his mask, and his mind felt like it was falling apart.

The mask hit the floor with a quiet *thunk*.

All the memories and scars had taken full effect on his mind. He couldn't help himself. Tears streamed down his face.

It was quiet. He felt nothing but pain and sadness.

It was about two minutes before he realised that Max hadn't sat there and done nothing. Max had hugged him, in the hopes that it would soothe him. It did just that.

Allister shook his head and sat back up.

He chuckled grimly. "I'm sorry…"

"What's there to be sorry for?" Max questioned. "You did what you thought was best, and I respect that."

Allister smiled. Maybe this was the first step to recovery.

He looked around. The windows were all closed. No one could have seen him other than Max.

"Thank you for everything, Max."

"I should be thanking you."

_Finally, inner peace._

Unsurprisingly, Max had taken first in the preliminary rounds and qualified for the Champion Cup. Allister was now kind of worried, but also excited. What would the match against Max bring?

The Champion Cup was scheduled for next month, giving him time to train for a significant amount of time.

He pondered something else, though.

_Should I leave my mask behind during the Champion Cup?_

He shook his head. Only time would tell.


	4. The Tournament

The day before the Champion Cup had arrived. Everyone in Galar was anticipating the tournament, and every city was buzzing with excitement. The owners of the Wyndon stadium had confirmed that the seats were sold out, and that those who did not get a seat could watch the tournament outside the stadium, where there was a gargantuan TV screen attached to the side.

Allister was the first leader to arrive at Wyndon, five days prior to the tournament. There were rooms for all seven qualifying Gym Leaders at the Rose of the Rondelands hotel, but Allister chose to stay by himself for the majority of the time.

He had already made a strategy for beating Raihan, and he believed he could take care of Bede's team with Gengar - if he qualified. Max would be a tough opponent to face if he advanced. Not only did he have several different types of Pokémon to handle type matchups, but he also had some fairly powerful Pokémon on his side. His team consisted of the following:

Dracovish, who would sweep opponents with Fishious Rend (Max had given it a Choice Scarf)

Mr. Rime, a special attacker with Mirror Coat and Sucker Punch

Coalossal, who was to take a Water attack, have its Speed maximized with Steam Engine, and its Attack and Special Attack boosted with a Weakness Policy

Aegislash, which had King's Shield and Shadow Sneak

Rillaboom, which had Wood Hammer and a Sitrus Berry

His ace, Gigantamax Toxtricity. G-Max Stun Shock would be _bad_.

Fortunately for Allister, if he was to advance, he could take out Aegislash, his team's only shared weakness, with Chandelure. But what then? His team was balanced and had diversity, and this was Allister's biggest chance to win the tournament. Who would prevail?

Only time would tell. He felt excitement.

He also felt a lingering feeling of doubt in him. _Should I bring my mask to the tournament? What if everyone judges me? What if nobody wants to see me? What if…?_

He sighed. Something was telling him to get rid of it, and something else told him to keep it on at all costs. What should he do?

At this point, nightfall had come; there was one lingering question that hung in his mind for the rest of the day.

_Would time tell?_

His alarm went off. The day had come.

He quickly dressed into his uniform, looked at himself in the mirror…

Mask on.

Walking over to the stadium, he was told that his match would come third, meaning he had time to wait for his match. That meant that Max was fourth.

He entered the locker rooms, where every Gym Leader (excluding Piers, as well as the two who did not qualify, Milo and Melony) stood. Max and Bea greeted him.

_Friends._

Nessa had eliminated Kabu in the first match, and Bea had beaten Gordie. Allister headed to the east tunnel to await the next match.

His ears were ringing. He felt almost nauseous. His mind was racing with thoughts, doubts, and fears. _Should the mask stay on or off? What if I lose? Would everyone see me as a bad Trainer?_

He remembered the last Champion Cup, where he was eliminated in the final round. Sure, being defeated in the final round looks better than being defeated in the first, but people would recognize his ability either way.

He sighed. The match was about to start.

Mask on.

Allister's plan had worked: he had eliminated Raihan. He and Raihan were evenly matched the entire battle (excluding Raihan's Dragapult. Allister had sent out his own Dragapult, but it held a Focus Sash, which enabled it to survive and KO Raihan's) and he dealt a good amount of damage to his Gigantamax Duraludon before both turned back to normal. Gengar was KO'd, but Allister still had his Runerigus, which was able to KO Duraludon with Earthquake.

He had advanced to the second round, and so had Max. Things were getting intense.

As the first battle ended, Bea defeated Nessa in a close match, coming down to just their two Gigantamax aces. This meant that if Allister eliminated Max… he had won it all.

Max traveled to the east tunnel, with an encouraging, "Good luck out there!" as he left. The battle was in 4 minutes.

As he observed the crowd he could visibly see from the west tunnel, he had flashbacks from when he faced off with Max for the first time. People were everywhere, cheering for him.

Wyndon Stadium had a much larger capacity than the Stow-on-Side stadium, and nearly three times as many people were there, primarily dominated by those in jerseys like his. They were rooting for him.

_People are cheering_ _**for me**__, people are __**cheering**_ _for me…?_

He was as stunned as he was when he had that exact thought during that first battle.

In an impulsive outburst of emotion, he unfastened his mask and snapped it against his knee. It was made of particularly weak material, so it snapped into three asymmetrical pieces upon contact.

He realized what he had done. He felt mixed feelings of regret, fear, excitement, bewilderment. His palms began to sweat, he felt nauseous, he was on the verge of completely collapsing for the first time in months.

_...but should I be afraid?_

More thoughts flooded his head. He didn't know what to believe.

Then he sighed with relief. He had gotten rid of his largest restraint.

_No turning back now._


	5. Unmasked

A cool breeze drifted along the pitch. The match was to start in less than a minute.

Allister felt proud. Even if he did end up losing to Max, he would have shown everyone who he really was. His mask, the one thing shielding him from everyone else, had been willingly shattered by its very owner.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is your second round matchup! In the east tunnel, the rising star, Max Crosby!"

Cheers and applause rang out from the audience. Max looked excited, a wide and sincere smile across his face.

"And on the west tunnel, the Ghost-type Gym Leader from Stow-on-Side, the youngest Gym Leader in history, Allister!"

As cheers rang out, the audience soon began to realize what had changed about him. A timid smile slid across his face. Everyone finally knew.

He could hear the crowd whispering and talking, confused yet intrigued. Then they began to cheer, louder and louder until it was almost a deafening roar.

_People like me now more than they did before._

Max was beaming. "What made you do it?"

"I realised I was standing in my own way," he chuckled. His words were almost a whisper.

"I respect you for making that decision. Good luck," Max said. Allister could tell he was sincere in every word.

. . .

It had come down to the last two Pokémon, Gengar and Toxtricity. Allister could use G-Max Terror, Max Darkness, or Max Ooze. Max Ooze would boost his Special Attack but wouldn't be too effective against a Poison type. Max Darkness would be a better option, because it would lower Toxtricity's Special Defense; however, it wouldn't have STAB power. G-Max Terror would be another option, but the effect wouldn't do much.

"Toxtricity, use G-Max Stun Shock!"

The giant lizard-like creature slowly stood up, and generated a giant purple rod of pure power. It swung down on Gengar, a huge thunderbolt exploding on to it. He looked at the monitor, and saw Gengar's health drain from full to about more than half. Gengar was paralyzed.

The entire battle relied on this one move to connect. "Gengar, Max Darkness…"

Gengar breathed in slowly, and released a giant beam of energy from its mouth. The darkness completely enveloped Toxtricity, lowering its health below half. If Allister connected another attack, he would win.

"Toxtricity, another G-Max Stun Shock!"

The bolt struck down on Gengar, lowering its health to red. This was when Allister had to hope that Max would do something else next turn. He used a Full Restore on Gengar, removing paralysis and regenerating its health back to full.

"Toxtricity, Max Guard!"

...This was something he did not expect. Maybe he was waiting for both of them to return to normal forms. He fired a Max Ooze at the giant shield, doing nothing to Toxtricity. They both shrunk to normal size.

"Toxtricity, use Overdrive!"

This was his strategy, to get the STAB and Punk Rock boosted Overdrive. Would it KO?

Allister whirled around. Gengar's health stopped at around 30%. He had won.

The crowd absolutely erupted. People were cheering, screaming, knowing that Allister had won. Max looked up with disappointment.

"Gengar, Shadow Ball."

Toxtricity fell to the ground.

. . .

**One Year Later.**

Allister had claimed the title of Galar Champion just two years ago, defeating Leon in an extremely close battle. The next year, Max had returned and defeated him in the finals. As short as his tenure as Champion was, he was happy with it. He continued to be Stow-on-Side's full-time Gym Leader and appeared in the finals both times, losing once to Raihan and facing Max again.

Max had an impeccable team, with powerful Pokémon who trusted him. Allister understood why they trusted him, because he did too.

Allister hadn't worn his mask ever since the match against Max two years ago. Several years later, he would be clinically cured of his anxiety and depression.

After he claimed the title of Champion, Allister and Max trained together as a group. Many believed those two were brothers, even though they weren't related. While he could have technically been adopted into Max's family, he stayed in his house by himself. He was often not alone when inside.

Allister had become an admired child. People were fascinated at his skill, and the attendance at the Stow-on-Side stadium broke records in the Galar region. More and more people knew of him, and he became almost a celebrity.

Max had been Allister's best friend for years, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He never forgot the first time he ever showed someone his face, and that Max had comforted him. The phrase "brotherly love" could also be applied to friends.

His legacy would live on in Galar's history, but it was far from over.


	6. Change

"The loneliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged people are the wisest. All because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do."

-Jellal Fernandes

This concludes Part 1 of this story. Part 2 is up next, and is currently in development (I hope I remember to update this). It will hopefully be finished soon.

An almost pitch-black corridor made of steel with little lighting stood in his way. It was like a standard hallway in a house, except the corridor stretched on for miles on end. The only things accompanying the dark, metal corridor were small light bulbs that provided a small amount of light to see where you are going. The corridor seemed endless, and it felt useless to tread on with no progress being made. Eventually, he had lost all hope and kept traveling through the corridor simply to kill time. It felt like he had lost all purpose and was simply surviving.

This was the story of Allister, before he found the end of the corridor. The dark and seemingly endless corridor represented the void he felt lost in for years. The end of the corridor marked the shift in his life, including his newfound friendships and the title of Galar Champion at one point.

Allister felt determined to reclaim his title of Champion after the match with Max. He had defeated Allister for the title of Champion and seemed almost unbeatable to many. This did not faze Allister one bit, and only motivated him even more. He had trained his team as best as possible, and had honed their skills to their maximum potential. His fan base had grown dramatically ever since he was Champion, and Stow-on-Side received a massive spike in tourists and new visitors planning to move there. Renovations had been made to all of the buildings, and the city was larger and more inviting.

He, Max and Bea were still great friends, even if they all had different things to attend to. Bea was currently waiting for a full-time stadium, and rumors began to spark as a result. Max, of course, was still Champion, and that came at a cost of time and energy. Allister was still growing his team and fan base, and was prepared for the coming Champion Cup. It was to occur in 2 months time.

Allister himself had grown as an individual. He had become more confident in his abilities, and was able to step outside without any worries that would have occurred 2 years before. However, despite his growth in personality and confidence, there was a feeling in his mind that wouldn't go away. He didn't know what was causing it, and why it continued to constantly bother him, but a feeling of...something...lingered in his mind. This puzzled him for quite some time, and he still had not figured out why he was feeling so...strange.

_Only time will tell_, he thought to himself. _Best I get some rest, there's a match tomorrow._

. . .

The cool breeze of evening was relaxing. Allister was victorious in the match with a new challenger. _It's always nice to feel relaxed after something tense like a match_, he thought to himself.

As he unlocked the door to his house, the ground began to shake violently. It felt like an earthquake. Allister struggled to keep his stance, and was holding onto the door frame when the shaking stopped.

He was bewildered. As he regained himself, he began to think about what just happened. _Galar hasn't had an earthquake in decades._

As he peacefully read his books in his room, the feeling he was experiencing continued to bother him. After the small, unexplained earthquake, the feeling only got worse. What was causing this?

He wasn't sure, but he felt some sort of...disturbance.

. . .

Roughly two days after the strange earthquake, a public statement was released by the Galar authorities. The cause of the earthquake itself was unknown, but it was assumed that a Pokemon had transformed into its Dynamax form without warning or its trainer's intent.

He sat down and thought to himself. Did the unintended Dynamaxing have to do with the earthquake, or did the two events occur without being correlated?

_Perhaps I shouldn't wait for time to tell._


	7. Unsettling Occurrences

Unease lingered across the region weeks after the earthquake. "What caused it to happen? What if it happens again? How can we stop it?" were all questions on everyone's minds. However, not much action had been taken by Galar. It was discovered that the epicenter of the earthquake had come from the Wild Area, but after a quick search it was determined that it must have been natural causes that started it, and that the Dynamaxing incident was merely a coincidence. Therefore, nothing really changed. Gym Challengers, Leaders, and those attempting to challenge a Dynamaxed Pokémon could all still go about their battles as usual. It was strange, and the fact that the incident was solved and quieted so quickly was certainly odd.

Aside from that, however, there was something to look forward to. After over 5 years of closure, the Isle of Armor would be reopening its doors to Galar and the public. This meant that, other than the Champion Cup, Allister and the rest had something else to look forward to.

Allister himself did not like the Wild Area too much, and preferred to train in the Glimwood Tangle; of course, not too far from Stow-on-Side as to not get lost. The Isle of Armor would be a breath of fresh air, and would also give him the opportunity to find more members to his roster. However, he hadn't figured out when he would try to go, and for how long. There wasn't a place to stay overnight as far as he was aware, so he'd have to set up a camping site, which wouldn't be a problem. However, he'd have to be at Stow-on-Side most days, as to not miss Gym Challenger battles, and...

His alarm went off. _Crumbs, what am I doing? I should be thinking about the Gym Challenge in 30 minutes, not in 2 weeks time!_

. . .

Unfortunately, he had lost his match, but it did help him learn what to improve with his team. He lacked a counter to Dark types, and perhaps the Isle of Armor would offer a Pokémon to do such task.

The air was cool, and the moon was bright in the ink black sky. There was barely any sound in the graveyard grounds, except for the occasional rustling of a Trevenant's leaves.

Allister had felt at home in the nearby graveyard. It was his only place to get away from everyone and enjoy the peace. While he struggled much less with his anxiety as he did all those years ago, it was still something he enjoyed. It was a guilty pleasure.

The graveyard also reminded him of the time he first had a true friend: John. He had met him about 3 years prior in the same graveyard, seeking help for his friend Tommy. He was trying to get him invited to Leon's match that year, but Allister didn't have the ability to do that. Instead, they went on a long journey to Wyndon, where John planned to go to Tommy to apologize directly towards him. It gave Allister a sense of accomplishment: finally being able to make a friend he truly trusted. He and John had slowly drifted away from eachother since, but he hadn't forgotten about him.

The graveyard was something special. It was one of those places that possess the most of your memories, good or bad. Like the stadium pitch. _Come to think of it, those two are polar opposites to eachother. I wonder if-_

His thoughts were interrupted due to the ground shaking violently._ Another earthquake?! What's going on?!_ Desperately, he sprinted back to his house.

As he got to his house door, he heard an ear-splitting noise. It sounded like an explosion._ This isn't any ordinary earthquake. This is something bad, something certainly unusual._

As the dust settled and the shaking stopped, he ran into his house and switched on the television. There was a mandatory shelter-in-place warning being broadcast. _Good thing I bolted back here._

He couldn't sleep that night. It was just too much. At around 6 A.M., it was revealed that a giant fissure had formed in the Wild Area, and it would be blocked off for public safety and investigation reasons.

This was unsettling, **especially** after what had just occurred weeks prior. And for Allister, this was something that wouldn't leave his mind. He felt that he needed to take action. _What if I tried to help investigate? Gengar and the others would be great with it._

A surge of confidence went through him. He was sure if he got the permission of Max or Chairman Rose, he would be golden. He called over a Flying Taxi, and headed to Wyndon. He was determined to make a change.


	8. Scepticism

Rose Tower was a fairly isolated landmark of Wyndon. Rarely would you see anyone entering or exiting the building. It was strange, almost ominous at times. Allister wondered what all of the floors were for, as he stood in the immensely large elevator.

He arrived at the top floor to see Max and Rose at the edge of the floor. It was giant, but there was nothing to be found inside. There was simply a large, empty floor with glass walls. Had the floor been silent, you could hear a pin drop. Truly a curious architectural decision, it was.  
Max noticed him first, but didn't greet him how he would usually. His facial expression was solemn, as he shared the same concerns as Allister did.

"Have you come to discuss the recent incidents?" he inquired.

"Sort of. What have you been focusing on?" Allister replied.

"It's a long story. We were trying to find a way to research the fissures and the surrounding area efficiently, but none of the methods we thought of would be unharmful and effective enough to find the cause behind the earthquakes," Rose replied.

"I see. I came up here to ask if I would be able to attempt to observe the Wild Area myself, as I figured that my Ghost types would be fit for the job."

"That would be great, but there's one issue. As the Chairman's research shows, it seems that the fissures won't offer any proof of a cause without something to dig deeper in. Obviously, that causes safety hazards and also damages the Wild Area itself, so we can't do that," Max informed.

"Perhaps the source could come from the Raid Dens in the Wild Area?" Allister questioned.

"That could be a viable research location, but the common appearances of Dynamaxed Pokémon would be so much of an issue that it would halt any progress made by researchers, miners, and others," Rose sighed.

At this point, the story behind the earthquakes was starting to get ridiculous. Unexplained earthquakes that are a massive danger to everyone in Galar and no way of stopping or finding the cause behind them - what could they do? They were powerless. There wasn't a solution to stop Raid Dens from causing Dynamaxing and no way to guarantee a safe mining site at the Wild Area.

Then, Allister had an idea that could prove to be outlandish or ingenious. "What if we wait until Raid Dens don't have any Dynamax Pokémon in them, and then seal them so no Pokémon could fall in or absorb the Watts? That way, we could establish a temporary mining site to find the source."

"That's...a good idea, almost," said Max. "The only problen would be the buildup of Watts in the Raid Dens. What if it causes some sort of explosion or something?"

"Oh, no, Max, this will be perfect!" Rose beamed. "While mining, the miners can pick up the Watts as they go to fuel the region! This plan is simply foolproof!"

"Are you sure that the buildup won't cause anything dangerous?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. My team will take good care of it."

"Okay. Thank you, Chairman!"

Max and Allister walked back into the elevator and rode down.

"D'you think this plan will work?" Max said skeptically.

"I sure hope so."

. . .

Allister felt that he was supposed to feel comfortable and content, now that Rose had begun research. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Neither he nor Max were permitted to help research due to safety concerns, and it was just Rose and his company who were taking action.

He wanted to at least see what they were doing, so he traveled to Hammerlocke to look out using the east bridge. It seemed fairly normal: a large hole dug in the side of the rockwall, along with the Raid Dens all sealed. It looked to be going smoothly, and he planned to head back when, to his utter shock, a gigantic Pokémon emerged from the North Lake Miloch. A Gigantamax Lapras appeared out of nowhere and began charging a Max Geyser. This was bad.

He rushed back to the center of Hammerlocke and made his way into the Wild Area. The guards let him in, knowing that they needed his help. He rushed over to the lake and threw out his Chandelure.

"Chandelure, Energy Ball!"

The Pokémon generated a ball of light and sent it hurtling at the Lapras. At this point, other workers had sent out their Pokémon and were barraging it with a variety of Rock and Grass attacks. Within minutes, the Lapras had fallen, and everything was back to normal. No earthquakes, but another unexplained Dynamax.

At this point, he headed back to Hammerlocke. _Wish I could help them with the research._


End file.
